Category: village of ridgewood

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Veto leaves hospitals open to lawsuits and PILOT programs

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog
 JANUARY 20, 2016    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016, 1:21 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Municipalities may try to levy property taxes against non-profit hospitals now that Governor Christie has vetoed legislation that enshrined the property tax exemption of the non-profits and instead would have required them to pay a community-service fee.

Advocates of the measure said they planned to return this session with a bill that satisfies the governor, while protecting hospitals from costly lawsuits and compensating local governments for some of the services they provide.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he was “extremely disappointed” with the governor’s action, which he attributed to the governor’s “personal political ambitions.” By assessing a fee on non-profit institutions, the measure might have been construed as a new tax by Christie’s conservative competitors for the Republican presidential nomination, Democrats said.

The measure followed last summer’s Tax Court decision that invalidated the property-tax exemption enjoyed by non-profit Morristown Medical Center. The hospital’s parent company, Atlantic Health System, eventually agreed to pay $15.5 million to satisfy back taxes and interest, and will make future payments of about $1 million annually as tax on the for-profit part of its operations.

Non-profit hospitals across the state have been concerned that they, too, will face costly litigation — and big tax bills. In a historic shift, those hospitals had volunteered to make the “community contributions” outlined by the measure that went before the governor.

“We are disappointed with the pocket veto,” said Betsy Ryan, president and CEO of the state’s largest hospital association.

But critics had considered the measure lenient on the hospitals. Several local governments had expressed concern that the measure shortchanged local governments. Its $2.50 per-bed, per-day fee was far too little, they said. The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, for example, would have been assessed about $407,000 annually, less than one-tenth of the potential property taxes on its full 15.5-acre property.

Some municipalities already are in “fact-finding mode” and are requesting information from their hospitals about their for-profit and non-profit operations, said Michael Cerra, vice president of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, which opposed the measure. “No one is looking to put anyone out of business,” he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/veto-leaves-hospitals-open-to-lawsuits-1.1495249

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Reader say Ridgewood Parking Meter Financial incentives can work to improve things when they are planned carefully

PayByPhone_Meter

When parking was made half price in lots, I made an effort to park in the lots. When street parking cost the same, I began to park on the street again. And there it is. Financial incentives can work to improve things when they are planned carefully. Doubling and tripling parking fees will cause many people to run away. The town cannot survive by catering only to those who don’t think twice about what they spend on items large or small. What we are facing is endless disincentives, like the prospect of having to pay 35 cents for the privilege of paying to park. For me this will never happen and if the meters stop accepting coins the CBD will never have my business again. Add to that the horrors of the single-lane underpass and now the blinding and stupid sign telling me to shop and dine in my town, and I basically avoid downtown to the greatest possible extent.

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Readers Don’t think Councilwomen Hauck Should be Preaching Civility

gwenn hauck

file photo by Boyd Loving

Can we talk about hypocrisy? This just in from Facebook for all to see: Gwenn Hauck preaching civility after she has been heard openly ridiculing and taunting various residents who come to speak up at meetings. She is the biggest most vicious member of the council. Read this posting :

Gwenn Hauck Echoed with sadness, Patricia. There is value in disagreement – but not so viciously. Ridgewood’s greatest joy should be its people and its community. People who condemn others for seeing things differently don’t see that their fighting-style makes our town much less attractive than any park or garage or apartment building…. Ridgewood was renowned for its strong sense of community and the pride that everyone felt just in being part of that! Now, Ridgewood is known as a critical, and severely polarized town that pits people against people and residents against government. In my experience the best solutions are born out of sincere, respectful, disagreements and a modicum of rapport.

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Readers say Village of Ridgewood Should Protect The Schedler Bald Eagles

bald eagle

Their natural habitats are shrinking and they are looking for nesting places all along the busy highways, turnpikes etc. where the can gather dead wood. They build huge nests. They check an area out long before they lay their eggs and maybe noise isn’t one of their concerns.

Thank you James for this article. Ever since I’ve learned about The Schedler Bald Eagles I have been reading up on them. In 1782 the Bald Eagle became the national/ bird symbol of the USA. It was chosen because it was native to North America and known for its ” majestic beauty, great strength and longevity.” In 1940, the Bald Eagle was protected under the National Emblem Act . During the years of DDT use, their numbers shrank at an alarming rate. They are now on the endangered species list and cannot be ” hassled, sold, killed or disturb their nesting sites.” I don’t know a single kid/ young adult who would choose a 90 foot field if it meant the loss of the woods that have become a possible home for two pairs of American Bald Eagles. We can have a smaller field, save the woods, protect the neighbors from noise and particle pollution and protect our national bird at a cost of nothing! What a great deal. Now to convince the council majority and the village manager.

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Readers Speculate over Targeting of Residents that Voice Any Opposition in Ridgewood

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

I know of several individuals who feel they have been targeted by the village after making complaints. At the time, I told them to contact the village manager. I thought that was the way to go. Most people feel too uncomfortable expressing their concerns at a public meeting. I now feel that is the only way to go. My own personal experience occurred two years ago. I had sent a letter to the Ridgewood News. I had forwarded a copy to the council. At a council meeting, I was approached by the mayor and he asked me to pull it. I said I couldn’t because it was past the deadline and I was under the impression they were printing it. It was not an inflammatory letter. It was not printed and I later found out through many sources that the mayor had gone to the paper and intervened. The mayor had implied that I had gotten it all wrong but later admitted that he had. I think at best , the actions taken by the mayor and subsequent cover up was problematic.

Many people believe that the email to Mike Sedon’s place of employment did come from the village as it was sent immediately after his petition was handed in at that location. I hope it wasn’t so but it seems like a familiar pattern.

If somebody knocks on your door with the permit inspection hammers swinging within a month of a public comment including that homeowners Name recording at a meeting…doesn’t take much imagination to connect the pieces and possible motives here…for goodness sake Rwood take back your Town…

This whole matter goes back to yet another ill-conceived comment made by a man that wants to be our next Mayor. Regardless of whether there’s any correlation to surprise inspections and summons’ to Mr. Pucciarelli’s very public threat, one has to question the man’s judgement for making the comment in the first place. This is not the first time Mr. Pucciarelli has spoken before thinking.

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Reader says Ridgewood should have data from parkmobile

parkmobile_meter

The town should have data from parkmobile. That should be the FIRST step to identity exactly how many spots are needed, instead of just pushing for a garage closer to the new proposed development by a company where Mayor’s wife used to work.

They are trying to use old data – 15 years ago to justify the demand. Many people say that you can always get the parking, you just need to know where to park. There are hidden spots. e.g. YMCA lot. The town can negotiate partnership with those private lots to provide parking. We can convert some streets to one way only to increase parking spaces. We can limit all street parking to 30 minutes and make it free – and all long term parking – longer than 30 minutes should be in these paid parking spaces not on the street – not in front of the shops. That will free up most lots and noone will have to circle around, if the street lots are free and are for LIMITED time – you park – do the business and go away.

Anyway – first order of business – IDENTIFY HOW MANY SPOTS ARE NEEDED – WITH A RECENT STUDY – WHICH CAPTURES DATA FOR MULTIPLE DAYS – NOT FOR ONE WEEK, NOT FOR A FEW HOURS. DON’T SPEND TAX PAYERS 15 MILLION DOLLARS ON YOUR PERSONAL AGENDA BY JUSTIFY IT USING FAKE REPORTS.

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Maser Traffic Study Refutes Need for Parking Garage in Ridgewood

Parking CBD

January 19,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , Maser Study Says Downtown Lots Half Full at Peak Times

-Delivered to village on or about October 16, 2015
-Vote on garage bond was November 3, 2015
-Study was first posted on old village website on 12/30/2015, 75 days after it was received.
-Councilwoman Knudsen and Councilman Sedon have stated in village council meetings they never saw the study before it was posted on 12/30/2015
-The 3 remaining council members have not answered, after much questioning by the public, when they saw the study.

Study says of the current Ridgewood parking load:

Page 11: This factor was deemed to be conservative for the purposes of our analysis as the surrounding surface lots were observed to be at approximately 50% of their capacity during peak hours and none of the surface lots appeared to approach their maximum capacity simultaneously. Thus, we justified that the site would operate at 50% capacity during both the AM and PM peak hours, or that a minimum of 206 of the proposed 412 parking spaces would be occupied during these times.

Why wasn’t this study shared with the public before the election, or before the first vote on the one and only design the village offered?
Why does Ridgewood need a garage?
Why does it need to be higher the neighboring Mt. Carmel Church?

Now, the village is pushing to have the county finance this garage. Who is it for if the surface lots are 50% full at peak?

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Urging Ridgewood council to keep trying on garage

Hudson Garage

file photo by Boyd Loving

JANUARY 15, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Urging council to keep trying on garage

To the editor:

I thank the Village Council for the time and effort spent trying to solve the parking issues in Ridgewood, but remain disheartened after the meeting on Jan. 6.

As Councilwoman Knudsen stated, the referendum was a vote for a parking garage on Hudson Street … not IN Hudson Street. Many residents were unaware of the size and scope of what they were being encouraged to vote for in the referendum.

Furthermore, aside from one vague, not widely circulated, and still anonymous flyer, there was very little public opposition. There were no “vote no” flyers all over town or on school property.

Would Mt. Carmel not have fully mobilized before the vote if they had any inkling the impact would be so great? Do you doubt that the 4,000 families of the parish would not have voted down the referendum had they realized there would be a 10-foot narrowing of Hudson and loss of precious on-street parking?

Overwhelmingly the residents who attended the meeting on Jan. 6 agreed to parking — even parking at that imperfect location — but not such a dramatic encroachment into the street, infringement on church life, and congestion to that area of the village in general.

As mentioned numerous times, the town while not legally required to follow its own rules and ordinances, should be expected to do so in all but emergency situations.

The word compromise was often used, but would be more easily achieved if a design was presented that stayed within the footprint of the current Hudson Street lot. Instead all of the options were variations on the same too big for the property design.

Mayor Aronsohn has stressed how important it is to get it right on parking, but isn’t that worth asking the architects to come back with some new ideas that a majority of interested parties can get behind before seeking funding from the county? We have waited decades for a solution and are nearly there, yet suddenly weeks are too long to wait for new drawings?

Lastly, while the financing scheme is not quite buttoned up, there was actually little disagreement around the costs of the garage. How sad then that the majority of council feels the need to seek financing elsewhere and hand the reins over to the county. By doing this, we would incur needless extra financing fees and perhaps ultimately lose some control over the project — design aesthetics, number of spaces dedicated to residents outside of Ridgewood, measures to take if meter revenue is below expectations, etc.

Can this really not be worked out without going that drastic, precedent setting route?

We have agreement on the need for parking, acceptance if not full agreement on location, and agreement on cost. There are a few months left for the council to figure this out together … I urge them to keep trying.

Carrie Giordano

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-urging-ridgewood-council-to-keep-trying-on-garage-1.1492391

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Village Hall and The Stable will be closed Today Monday, January 18, 2016 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday

village-hall-theridgewoodblog

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY

Village Hall and The Stable will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2016 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  There will be no garbage or recycling pickup on that day, and the Recycling Center will also be closed.  Village Hall and The Stable will reopen on Tuesday, January 19, 2016

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Ridgewood author runs through obstacles

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JANUARY 15, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A village woman tells the stories of the latest athletic phenomenon known as obstacle course racing in her latest book, documenting the role it has played in the lives of its participants.

Gail Kislevitz, a Ridgewood resident and veteran of 26 marathons, has completed her latest book entitled “Get Muddy,” which relates the personal tales of nearly two dozen obstacle course racers from all over the United States and their involvement in the sport.

There are various obstacle course races held all over the country known by names such as Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash and Spartan Race Series. The races have become an exploding trend and a fast-growing sport.

It was also a subject Kislevitz was a bit nervous to tackle in a book since she had never participated in an obstacle course race before. In her previous books, she wrote about topics that were more familiar, such as running marathons and triathlons.

“I had never done one,” said Kislevitz. “But I certainly knew about them and I knew people who had done them.”

https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/books/author-runs-through-obstacles-1.1492241

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Graydon Parking lot with Shuttle Service a Simple Alternative to massive Garage Building

Graydon_Parking_lot_theridgewoodblog
January 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Russ Forenza suggestion at the January 6th meeting to use the Graydon Parking lot , Graydon Pool parking is a tremendous asset that is never used , shuttle buses , would be a simple easy solution . The idea would be to push all the employee parking into the Graydon lot .Yes we know it was tried before and true it failed .But now parking rates are significantly higher and we could allow employees and business owners to park either for Free or at a greatly reduced rate and shoppers could also park there at a reduced rate . Shuttle service would have to run continuously during the day at regular short intervals .
It has been reported on this blog many times over the past 6 years , that often the parking spaces are already full on streets like Oak Street by 8 am in the morning when no businesses are even opened . The  Graydon parking along with a shuttle service would siphon off  many full time employees , encourage them to spend money in town and be far more ecologically friendly than circling the village in cars looking for parking . Non compliant business could be fined ,both the employee for parking in the wrong place  and the business owner .
Perhaps the Graydon lot could be used seasonally like shopping centers that don’t allow employee parking during seasonally peak periods . Garden State Plaza  for instance bars employees from parking in certain areas during the Christmas rush.
Another idea is to also add more bicycle racks in the central business district so the down town would be more bike friendly . Parker’s at Graydon could bike back and forth during warmer weather if they desired and the shuttle should be made “bike friendly”.
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Is this how “somebody’s going to pay for this” actually works?

Village Council Meeting

January 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , A resident who recently spoke out at a Village Council meeting in opposition to a plan being promoted by the “Council majority” reported to me that within a few days of making those comments, a Village of Ridgewood employee visited his/her home, conducted an unannounced property maintenance inspection, and issued a summons to the resident.

Wondering if the timing of the inspection was in any way related to the comments he/she made at the recent Village Council meeting, or just a coincidence, the resident informally checked with several other people who had publicly voiced opposition to a “Council majority” plan and found, surprisingly, that a few others had also recently received summonses for property maintenance related issues.

The staff of The Ridgewood Blog wonders how many of you out there received a summons in connection with a property maintenance related issue shortly after speaking at a Village Council meeting?

We’d love to hear from you with as many specifics as you’d care to share.

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Village Ignores Rare Bald Eagles and Black Crested Heron sighted on Schedler property

bald eagle

January 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, 4 American Bald Eagles and a black crested heron , all on the endangered species list. According to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation Bald Eagles are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. At no time should anyone approach nesting eagles. People who want to observe or photograph eagles and who come too close may actually cause the birds to abandon a nest. In 2014, there were 156 pairs of bald eagles monitored in the state of New Jersey. Apparently the Village of Ridgewood is well aware  https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/…/2015schedlergrantupdate.pdf if see Page 16 of a document Roberta signed . Unfortunately the page was magically removed from the Village website.

Included with this article is a copy of the original and we posted it for your viewing pleasure .If you scroll down you will see where these birds are listed but they checked N/A disregarding their endangered species classification. n a recent council meeting Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld called them some animals who happened to be running around at that location.
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Ridgewood Restaurant Week Starts Tomorrow !

Sakura_Bana_ Restaurant1_theridgewoodblog
Restaurant Week 2016!
Sun, January 17, 2016 – Thu, January 21, 2016
Time: 12:00 PM
See the list of Restaurants below, All through Ridgewood
2016 Restaurant Week in Ridgewood is Back!

What a great way to start the New Year.

A Year Never Tasted So Good!
Back by popular demand – RESTAURANT WEEK 2016

What a great way to start the New Year
Sunday – Thursday January 17-21
And January 24-28
Restaurant Week in Ridgewood – Fine Dining at $25.16

Each chef is preparing a tantalizing 3-course, prix-fixe menu at $25.16. Please add a wine that will enhance the cuisine.

Call the restaurant for selections.

Fish Urban Dining
201-857-5151

It’s Greek to Me
201-612-2600

LaTour, A French-American Grill
201-445-5056

Mediterraneo Restaurant
201-447-0022

Memoire Restaurant
201-857-8899

Novo Mediterranean
201-444-4910

Park West Tavern & Loft
201-445-5400

Pearl Restaurant
201-857-5100

Planet Swirl FRO-Yo & Grill
201-857-4455

Raymond’s
201-445-5125

ROOTS Steakhouse
201-444-1922

Sakura-Bana Japanese
201-447-6525

The Office Beer Bar & Grill
201-652-1070

The Sensible Fork
201-857-8686

Village Green Restaurant
201-445-2914

Catering
Chestnut Catering
201-445-3031

From Scratch Ridgewood
201-981-8606

Other Offerings

Ben & Jerry’s
201-689-1122

Carlo’s Bakershop
201-962-9080

Super Cellars Fine Wines & Marketplace
201-444-0012

The Wine Seller
201-444-3300

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Join the B.Witching team for a fun class of Love Potion Crafting

B

The Ultimate Valentine’s Celebration!
Join the B.Witching team for a fun class of Love Potion Crafting
Class includes instruction and all crafting supplies. Learn to mix herbs and fragrances to formulate your own bath salt potion & roll beeswax and blend fragrances to create a Valentine’s Day candle.
Class dates:
Thursday Feb 11, 2016 from 5-7pm
Friday Feb 12, 2016 from 5-7pm
Saturday Feb 13, 2016 from 12-2pm
Saturday Feb 13, 2016 from 3-5pm
Saturday Feb 13, 2016 from 6-8pm (Adults Only—BYOB)
$25 per person paid in advance – $30 per person day of event.
Space is limited to 10 people per class and they sell out quick! Reserve space in person or by calling our Ridgewood Store. Not recommended for children under 6 years of age. The perfect Valentine’s Day Ladies Night Out, Girl Scouts or Mommy & Me Event!

B.Witching Bath Co. LLC
11 S. Broad Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07506 Tel: 201-444-0333
www.bwitchingbathco.com